


The Parting Glass

by Naminenobody94



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: DA2, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, implied fenris/bela/hawke, indigo hawke, second chapter deals with 'all that remains'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 08:39:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4013050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naminenobody94/pseuds/Naminenobody94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Separate incidents, each pertaining to a particular song that Hawke holds close to her heart. Perhaps it can comfort her and Fenris when they need it, just like it comforted her so long ago when she was a child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Parting Glass

**\---**  
_Of all the money that ere I had, I spent it in good company_  
And all the harm that ere I done, alas it was to none but me  
And all I’ve done for want of wit, to mem’ry now, I can’t recall  
So fill to me the Parting Glass, goodnight and joy be with you all  
So fill to me the Parting Glass, and drink of health whate’er befalls  
Then gently rise and softly call; Goodnight and joy be to you all  
**\---**  
She was used to wandering the streets at night by now. Though usually it was accompanied by her companions on the way to _some_ ordeal or another, be it to go to the Hanged Man, or to take down another group of slave traders or the like. Tonight however, a restless sleep drove her to wander about, trying to clear her thoughts. She found the Amell estate was too large and empty to satisfy her, even with the dwarves, Som, and her mother there. She needed something else to preoccupy her. Perhaps exterminating some of the mercenary groups that had been terrorizing Hightown at night, or finding a lost cat for someone- anything to get her out of that mansion for the time being. 

She found that while wandering aimlessly about, she had somehow ended up on the front doorstep of Fenris’ mansion. Funny. Even when not thinking she ends up being drawn to him. For the past month now, she’s found herself thinking of him a bit more fondly, and she’s sure she’s actually seen a genuine smile on his face more than once recently. He seems to genuinely like talking to her, and she certainly does him. 

Well, she supposes that while she’s here, she may as well check on him. He is normally up at this hour. As she made her way through the estate, she couldn’t help but sigh to herself about how that body in the corner is _still_ there, and Fenris really should clean this place up a little… if nothing else, he needs to fix the holes in the roof or the whole thing will collapse from a bad storm. And it wouldn’t hurt to do a bit of dusting. They have enough dust when they go to the caves on Sundermount. 

She climbed the steps that lead up to the master bedroom, stepping over the broken tiles that she’s since learned of. She’s come to this mansion Maker knows how many times by now, whether it be to inform Fenris of a mission they’re going on, or meeting him for a simple chat. She’s learned what to step over and what to walk around without even looking now. Including the broken glass that had been left at the open door from Fenris hurling a bottle of wine at the wall so long ago. 

As she drew closer to the door, she was sure he’d heard her by now. Though she wasn’t a fan of the bulky armor, the boots she wore still clunked as she walked, especially along the disheveled tile. And he _was_ an elf, after all. He was typically one of the first to hear footsteps coming… although that might have also been due to his constant paranoia of a group of Slave Hunters being sent after him by Danarius. 

As she expected, he was still awake, looking out the window at the moonlit city… but something seemed rather… _off_ about his demeanor. If he _had_ heard her, he certainly showed no sign of it. Or if he had, he didn’t acknowledge it. His shoulders seemed to be hunched more than normal, almost defensive, and his arms were crossed tight against his chest. His legs were rigid, as if not sure to relax or to get up and move. Though he was turned away from her, she could catch a small glimpse of a frown on what part of his face she could see. She moved forward, her feet guided by instinct to see more of his face, and she was sure he could hear her by now. When she stepped on a new pile of broken glass however, she was surprised to see him _flinch_. Had he really not heard her up until now? 

“Fenris… Are you alright?”

Her gaze was met with a startled glance, though when he saw her, he seemed to relax... if only a little. He nods to her in small greeting before turning away, glancing out the window once more,

“Hawke… I am fine. To what do I owe this visit?” She shifted her weight as he spoke. She could hear a slight oddity in his voice. Was he hurt…? No. It was a little different. 

“I… couldn’t sleep. Decided to get some fresh air to clear my head.” Her voice almost sounded questioning; as if simply by saying that, she was asking if he was _truly_ okay. He only let out a small snort. 

“Coming in here doesn’t exactly warrant ‘fresh air’, Hawke,” She could hear the amusement in his voice, but that oddity didn’t leave, “You could have easily wandered about your own estate.”

She shifted again, looking away and crossing her arms in an almost defensive posture. How could she explain that the walls of the mansion seemed to close in on her to where it felt even smaller than the shack that Gamlen called home? How it was empty even when there were so many others sharing it? He interrupted her thoughts with a small sigh, and she looked up at him as he turned toward her,

“Well, I suppose since you’re here, we can talk. You said you couldn’t sleep?” She nodded to that, and watched as the elf finally turned away from the window to go sit on a bench, 

“… Well, it looks like that can be said of the two of us.”

Had he always been up late like this because he couldn’t sleep? She’d always simply thought he didn’t rest until a much later hour… though she couldn’t claim to know at what hour he’d wake up. Still, she found it a bit amusing to hear. 

“ _You_? Sleepless?” She managed to get a smirk from the elf

“I know, shocking.” He allowed his elbows to rest on his knees, his hands hanging without anything to preoccupy them. She turns and walked over to sit in a chair across from him as he spoke, “I know I don’t speak often of it, but there are nights when I don’t sleep.”

“Is _that_ why you always sound grumpy?”

A slight glare was thrown her way at those words… though it seemed soft, almost teasing. 

“You’ve been around the Dwarf much too often.” She could only chuckle at that before he turned and looked at the fireplace, which was the only other source of light besides the moon, “Lately, I’ve been… having a much harder time sleeping. _Usually _, it’s simply because of the Lyrium pulsing too harsh for me to concentrate on any thought of sleep… but lately…”__

__Those words _certainly_ gained her attention. He’s stated before that the Lyrium burned into his skin was a constant source of pain, something she could _never_ claim to have any idea about. To hear that on nights it makes it hard enough to sleep at all… She shook the thought from her head. She wasn’t going to dwell too much on that. That was a question for another day. Possibly much, much later. For now, something else was keeping him from sleep._ _

__“.. Lately…?” she urged, and the elf let a breath escape, sounding as if he’d been holding it till now._ _

__“… Lately, I’ve been having odd dreams, of nothing in particular… But what little sleep I am able to get is plagued by them, and nearly always wakes me when hardly any time has passed.”_ _

__Hawke could only watch him as he said this, thinking of how it sounded all too familiar. Phantom nightmares that left as soon as they came. Leaving nothing but the feeling of uneasiness. She’d been having those on and off for the past couple months since the Expedition and Bethany’s capture. She wished he didn’t have to experience them too… and yet she felt a strange sense of relief that she wasn’t the only one who did._ _

__The elf’s snort made her glance up at him, and he looked away, a sour expression on his face._ _

__“… I can’t believe I’m telling you this… We’ve fought Darkspawn, Ogres, and the like, and I’m complaining about dreams. I must sound like a fool.”  
She looks at him for a small moment, as if to gather her words or to build up courage, and she stands. For a moment, he seems to expect her to agree, but she simply sits beside him, shaking her head, _ _

__“You don’t. Even the best of us can be taken by dreams… Trust me…”_ _

__The elf raises an eyebrow at that, glancing up to look at her through his hair,_ _

__“… You’re saying the reason you can’t sleep is because of dreams?” When she nods, he snorts a bit and looks away again, “And you come to me as a result… Why? I am obviously not the best person to talk to regarding trying to fall back to sleep.”_ _

__A smile tugged at the side of the Champion’s lips, and she shook her head a bit at that, “Sometimes just talking helps. I’m sure it could help you too.”_ _

__“Really… Well then, if you’d like to try, be my guest.”_ _

__At those words, all thoughts of topics they could speak of seemed to vanish from her mind, and she was left speechless. _Surely_ she could find some way to help him? Especially after being so sure of herself! _ _

__Maybe…_ _

__“… Could I try something else, instead?” She was met with questioning, almost hesitant eyes at that, and she shook her head, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I promise… It’s something my mother used to do, when I was little and couldn’t sleep.”_ _

__“… Go ahead, I suppose.”_ _

__She smiled softly at that, something that seemed to make something flicker in his eyes. After a small moment of preparing herself, she began to sing quietly, almost to herself at first. Like she was just starting to even remember the words to the song. After all, she hadn’t thought much of it for years. Even before the Blight that had driven them to Kirkwall in the first place. It only took a short moment, but the words began to almost flow from her, softly, but with a confidence that she only ever had with these words. She used to sing this together with her family. Even Carver would sing along every so often, even if it was a bit grudgingly at first. The song’s tone would vary, from a fun-filled song to dance to, to a song that was sung in a hushed tone. And the hushed tone was always her favorite. It was the hum in her mother’s throat. The quiet whisper on nights when she couldn’t fall asleep for fear of monsters in the dark. The feel of being wrapped in a warm, safe embrace that soothed her and gave her a sense of belonging. One that, at that moment, was meant for her, and her alone._ _

__Surprisingly, Fenris never stopped her. Never made a sound. Never even made an attempt to move away… in fact, by the end of the song, she swore he had moved _closer_. She looked down to him as the song came to a close, and after a moment of silence, she spoke his name quietly, as if asking for any kind of acknowledgement. Had he liked it? Did he think it was silly? Was he just entertaining her with the thought it would work? When he finally spoke, it was quiet… _soft_. There was no hint of the usual annoyance or malice he usually carried. _ _

__“That was… lovely. Thank you.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thought up one night when listening to the song "The Parting Glass", particularly the one sung by Peter Hollens. Really I thought of the second chapter first, but figured it needed a little of a backstory first. So that's this one here. Soon I'll put up the second chapter.


End file.
